I have decided to take a refresher course at the local university that will (hopefully) enable me to get a job I will enjoy in the field I have a degree in. I haven't worked in this field in about 18 years and it's been even longer since I was in college! LOL

It's a 15 week course, one day a week with online modules in between times, etc.

The hardest thing about this for me is not being available for my kids on those days. My kids have come first for the last 18 years. This is very different for me. I think I'm excited!

Any advice from others who have gone back to school after being out a looong while?

Schedule your study time first. Don't make the mistake of prioritizing the household and saying "I'll sit down and study when the house is tidy and all the laundry is done". I realized pretty quickly that I could always find something to feel guilty about that I'd just have to do first before I'd sit down and get my course work out.Enjoy! I'm just getting back into math, possibly looking to do a master's starting in autumn, and I love having something that is just mine again.

You must protect your time. Announce to your family when class is and when homework time is. It may be best if you schedule the online modules. It is much easier to say "sorry, that is class time" than "well, I could take you to the mall and then come home study a bit and then go get you".You will learn: "I am not available but if Janie's mom can take you then okay"Your family will push back a bit at first but if they see you are firm then they will learn. Of course pick times that are most convenient to all. If you get too much bugging at home then start going to the library.

i've mentioned this before, but i started (almost finished) a BA degree in the early 1980s when i was 20. i never finished and it has bothered me for years.

when i was 44 i finally took the plunge and went back. a friend told me "take one class and see how it goes". i started with two classes (they were the two main pre-requisites in the department) and loved it. i was going to school part time (very very part time, a few hours a week), working full time, and being a mother. it took me four years and i finally completed my BA ( I had to actually start almost from scratch).

it is hard but it also fun. it may be harder for you than for the younger students, but you are also probably a lot more disciplined. you will (probably ) not show up to class in your PJs, hung over, bleary eyed asking "was there an assignment due today? um, oh, she's giving us a quiz? on what material?"

Stop in during your professor's office hours and ask if s/he has any suggestions. This will charm your professor into being willing to cut you slack (if said professor has any sort of heart). Also, professor probably has a nice long list of campus resources that WILL be useful, or will be glad to help you learn how to do things like computer catalog searches.

I'm actually getting kind of excited about it. It's also motivating me to clean the house so everything is in order and I'm not *behind* in housework kind of stuff since I'm effectively losing one day a week at my SAHM "job". lol

I think the thing I'm most excited about experienceing is the online modules that correlate to our lecture material. I like practice and review questions, etc. that covers the material we just learned about. This will also be the first time my kids have ever seen me in a student roll. Just...fun...all the way around, I think.

Good luck with the class! I teach a lot of students who are returning to school after being away for a number of years. Several PPs mentioned scheduling your time to get classwork done, and that's a great tip. Another suggestion is to put every assignment deadline in your calendar. One of my students told a class that she prints multiple copies of the syllabus and leaves them everywhere she might possibly need one.

Stop in during your professor's office hours and ask if s/he has any suggestions. This will charm your professor into being willing to cut you slack (if said professor has any sort of heart). Also, professor probably has a nice long list of campus resources that WILL be useful, or will be glad to help you learn how to do things like computer catalog searches.

I second this. I went to Grad School in my 50s and made a point of having an appointment with each of my Professors even when things were going well. A little chat really made things easier.

**UPDATE**I took my final exam yesterday and completed the course with 270/272 (99%). As I went up to get my test score from the instructor she handed it to me and whispered, "...highest grade in the class...".

**UPDATE**I took my final exam yesterday and completed the course with 270/272 (99%). As I went up to get my test score from the instructor she handed it to me and whispered, "...highest grade in the class...".

**UPDATE**I took my final exam yesterday and completed the course with 270/272 (99%). As I went up to get my test score from the instructor she handed it to me and whispered, "...highest grade in the class...".

My cousin's memoir of love and loneliness while raising a child with multiple disabilities will be out on Amazon soon! Know the Night, by Maria Mutch, has been called "full of hope, light, and companionship for surviving the small hours of the night."